HOT SPRINGS -- Some horses climb the class ladder.
Other thoroughbreds, like Patton's Victory this year at Oaklawn Park, make a quantum leap.
Such a leap reaps rewards for owners and trainers.
This time for owner/trainer Stanley Roberts of Forrest City and co-owner Rick Turman of Jonesboro, of Highway 1 racing.
Two months after winning a $7,500 starter allowance, the five-year-old gelding scored a front-running victory in Wednesday's Grade III $100,000 Fifth Season.
The meeting's first four-time winner, Patton's Victory treated stakes horses with the same disdain he showed $10,000 claimers last spring in Iowa.
Leading from gate to wire for the third consecutive race, Patton's Victory had a one-length final margin over multiple Grade III winner Colorful Tour.
One horse's winning streak was extended to five; the other's was stopped at five.
"That's the same race he's run the last two or three times," said trainer Stanley Roberts of Forrest City, whose first Oaklawn stakes victory came March 23, with ex-claimer Honor Me in the $50,000 Hot Springs.
Roberts claimed Patton's Victory for $25,000 in August 2001 at Kentucky's Ellis Park upon the advice of Turman, his close friend and business partner. The Fifth Season, the first graded victory for both, marked the meet-high 20th win for their Highway 1 Racing Stable.
With a 10-length romp March 2, Patton's Victory graduated to open allowance company. Roberts penciled in the Fifth Season after Patton's Victory ran a faster 1 1/16 miles (1:43.15) March 16 than Colorful Tour (1:43.53) in the Razorback Handicap.
One by one, things fell into place for the gelding's Arkansas owners.
First, Slider went in Saturday's Grade II Oaklawn Handicap (finishing second to Medaglia d'Oro) instead of the Fifth Season.
And when no one challenged Patton's Victory out of the gate, Alex Birzer slowed the pace to 47.65 seconds for the opening half-mile and 1:12.42 through six furlongs.
"The rest," said Birzer, three lengths in front at the furlong marker, "was nursing that lead."
Colorful Tour trimmed the difference by two lengths but was victimized both by an outside post and high weight of 122 pounds, five more than Patton's Victory. "At about the sixteenth pole I thought I was going to get to (the leader)," said jockey Luis Quinonez, "but he rebroke and that was the end."
"I got no break at all in the weights," said trainer Noel Hickey, whose multiple Grade III (Essex and Razorback handicaps) winner skipped the Oaklawn rather than face Medaglia d'Oro and defending champion Kudos. "My horse ran his race, but the winner seemed to have things his own way and made the best of his chance."
Pulling a fast one on the bettors, Patton's Victory paid $26.60, $9.40 and $5.60, clocking the fast-rated 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.26. Earning $60,000, the gelding boosted his career bankroll to $142,188 from 22 starts.
As with Honor Me, entered today in the Grade III $150,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, Roberts showed considerable patience with Patton's Victory.
"Rick picked him out at Ellis and thought he would be a nice horse to claim," Roberts said. "We like to have never gotten him straightened out; he had some stomach problems and we did a little minor surgery on him."
Said Turman: "Most people would have given up on him, but Stanley stayed with him."
Stanford Keglar, a senior at Pike High School in Indianapolis, Ind., has signed to play football with Division I Purdue University.
Keglar, a running back, is the son of Shelvy and Robbia Keglar and he is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Steward of Forrest City.
Keglar's mother, Robbia, attended and graduated from Forrest City High School.
Keglar was also a state finalist for the Pike swim team but says he enjoys playing football because it is a "contact sport."
Matt Sullivan and Willie Little each carded even-par rounds of 36 to earn medalist honors and lead Jonesboro past Poplar Bluff, Mo., Wednesday in high school golf at RidgePointe Country Club.
Jonesboro improved to 12-0 on the season by shooting a combined 152, 12 strokes ahead of Poplar Bluff at 164.
Stephen Cox shot a 38, Chris Woodard and Chase Owens each fired a 42 and Jonathan Davidson shot a 43 for JHS in the play-six, count-four format.
Forrest City's Mustang golf team is scheduled to play at Jonesboro in a AAAAA-East Conference on Tuesday, April 15.